Package holidays - just for the cheap flight?

[porp]

Can you book a package holiday, and just turn up for the flights there and back? Or even go on the transfer to the hotel, and not actually stay at that booked hotel?

Reason for asking is potentially need to travel somewhere (to visit family)that is well served by charter flights and packages but not so much by scheduled flights.

Thanks

 

[8ball]

Can you book a package holiday, and just turn up for the flights there and back? Or even go on the transfer to the hotel, and not actually stay at that booked hotel?

Reason for asking is potentially need to travel somewhere (to visit family)that is well served by charter flights and packages but not so much by scheduled flights.

Thanks

Yeah, it can be done, but best sneak away under cover of darkness. The tour guides have tasers and cable ties these days.

 

[bellaozzydog]

I used to always do this in for surfing Morocco.

Fly to Agadir. Stay in hotel for a day while I organise a hire car and then fucked off elsewhere

 

[Spymaster]

I'm not sure how package holidays work. Does the tour operator check-in passengers or do they have to do it themselves Bahnhof Strasse ?

If it's the former you'd at least need to let them know that you've arrived at the destination, probably by checking into the hotel. If you did that and told the tour rep that you'll meet them at the airport you'd probably be ok. On the other hand it's quite possible that tour operators wouldn't give a toss if you paid for a holiday and didn't use part of it.

I'd phone them and ask.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

You don’t have to stay at the accommodation that is part of the package and you don’t need to let them know.

You can usually just buy seats on the package holiday flights, known as charter flights even though ones such as Tui run to a schedule. For some places such as Goa you are not allowed to just have a seat on a charter flight, you must be part of a package and the charter airlines get around that by giving you a voucher for ‘bunk house’ accommodation, which no one ever stays in, if it even exists.

 

[Elpenor]

Also booking a package holiday gives more consumer rights than a vanilla flight booking I believe?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Also booking a package holiday gives more consumer rights than a vanilla flight booking I believe?

Yes, covered by ATOL, so the CAA would get you home if the company goes bust.

 

[Gromit]

Don't forget to check a homeless person into the accommodation you paid for.
Hotels love that.

 

[Raheem]

I used to always do this in for surfing Morocco.

Fly to Agadir. Stay in hotel for a day while I organise a hire car and then fucked off elsewhere

To Morocco you can get packages with only one or two nights accommodation, designed for that sort of purpose.

 

[bellaozzydog]

Threads got me googling

 

[Fez909]

For some places such as Goa you are not allowed to just have a seat on a charter flight, you must be part of a package and the charter airlines get around that by giving you a voucher for ‘bunk house’ accommodation, which no one ever stays in, if it even exists.

I did this for Cuba due to something in their entry requirements. You have to have a place to stay when entering the country, IIRC.

2 weeks package holiday, consisting of return flights + 1 night stay in a fancy hotel. Once you're in, then you can do what you like.

The hotel defo did exist though, and was really nice

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I did this for Cuba due to something in their entry requirements. You have to have a place to stay when entering the country, IIRC.

2 weeks package holiday, consisting of return flights + 1 night stay in a fancy hotel. Once you're in, then you can do what you like.

The hotel defo did exist though, and was really nice

When did you go to Cuba? If recently you can't get an ESTA for the US, if you do have a Cuban stamp in your passport and wish to visit the US you need to apply for a visa, which is a long-winded pain. Or stick your passport in a bowl of warm, soapy water, then send it in to the Passport Office applying for a new one as this one 'went through the wash'. Then apply for an ESTA.

 

[porp]

Learning a lot from this thread, thank you all. If I find a package that looks good, I will follow Spymaster's advice and give them a call.

 

[Fez909]

When did you go to Cuba? If recently you can't get an ESTA for the US, if you do have a Cuban stamp in your passport and wish to visit the US you need to apply for a visa, which is a long-winded pain. Or stick your passport in a bowl of warm, soapy water, then send it in to the Passport Office applying for a new one as this one 'went through the wash'. Then apply for an ESTA.

Long time ago now...maybe 2003?

Ridiculous of the 'Land of the Free' to have such a rule.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Long time ago now...maybe 2003?

Ridiculous of the 'Land of the Free' to have such a rule.

Guess which orange faced twat did that..?

 

[bellaozzydog]

When did you go to Cuba? If recently you can't get an ESTA for the US, if you do have a Cuban stamp in your passport and wish to visit the US you need to apply for a visa, which is a long-winded pain. Or stick your passport in a bowl of warm, soapy water, then send it in to the Passport Office applying for a new one as this one 'went through the wash'. Then apply for an ESTA.

Two passports

One for Israel and Cuba one for the rest of the world

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Israel will stamp a bit of paper and staple
It in. Not that there is a country that objects to an Israeli stamp that I would consider visiting anyway.

And fwiw passport office has got very strict on second passports, you have to show a load of hard to get visas in your current one to be granted it, certainly won’t give you one to enable you to lie on an ESTA application…

 

[Hollis]

I did this for Goa year's ago... got a Thomas Cook package, then just buggered off the moment I got there and stayed in a hut in Chapora.

The "travellers" did seem slightly bemused when I told them I was on a TC package holiday though.